Gillian's letter to Murphy

Following the claims that the Tories plan to cut the number of MPs in Wales, Cheryl Gillian has written to Paul Murphy to explain the proposals:

Rt Hon Paul Murphy
Gwydyr House
Whitehall
London SW1A 2NP

14th January 2009

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your note on recent press reports.

David Cameron has told the Financial Times ‘I think the House of Commons could do the job that it does with 10 per cent fewer MPs’

We believe that there is a strong case for gradually reducing the number of MPs over two boundary changes as part of our agenda to reduce the cost of politics.

In addition, as recommended by the Committee of Standards in Public Life, constituencies should be of a similar size, to allow all MPs to best serve the electorate in their seat and ensure fair representation in parliament.

However any proposals would respect the current special arrangements for Wales.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Cheryl Gillan MP
Shadow Secretary of State for Wales